# std::filesystem::path::string, std::filesystem::path::wstring, std::filesystem::path::u8string, std::filesystem::path::u16string, std::filesystem::path::u32string

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< cpp‎ | filesystem‎ | path

template< class CharT, class Traits = std::char_traits<CharT>, class Alloc = std::allocator<CharT> > std::basic_string<CharT,Traits,Alloc> string( const Alloc& a = Alloc() ) const; | (1) | (since C++17)
| (2) | (since C++17)
std::string string() const; |  |
std::wstring wstring() const; |  |
std::u16string u16string() const; |  |
std::u32string u32string() const; |  |
| (3) |
std::string u8string() const; |  | (since C++17) (until C++20)
std::u8string u8string() const; |  | (since C++20)

Returns the internal pathname in native pathname format, converted to specific string type. Conversion, if any, is performed as follows:

- If `path::value_type` is char, conversion, if any, is system-dependent. This is the case on typical POSIX systems (such as Linux), where native encoding is UTF-8 and `string()` performs no conversion.
- Otherwise, if `path::value_type` is wchar_t, conversion, if any, is unspecified. This is the case on Windows, where wchar_t is 16 bit and the native encoding is UTF-16.
- Otherwise, if `path::value_type` is char16_t, native encoding is UTF-16 and the conversion method is unspecified.
- Otherwise, if `path::value_type` is char32_t, native encoding is UTF-32 and the conversion method is unspecified.
- Otherwise, if `path::value_type` is char8_t, native encoding is UTF-8 and the conversion method is unspecified.

1) All memory allocations are performed by a.
3) The result encoding in the case of u8string() is always UTF-8.

### Parameters

(none)

### Return value

The internal pathname in native pathname format, converted to specified string type.

### Exceptions

May throw implementation-defined exceptions.

### Example

Run this code

    #include <clocale>
    #include <cstdio>
    #include <filesystem>
    #include <fstream>
    #include <iostream>
    #include <locale>

    int main()
    {
        const char* const localeName = "ja_JP.utf-8";
        std::setlocale(LC_ALL, localeName);
        std::locale::global(std::locale(localeName));

        const std::filesystem::path p(u8"要らない.txt");
        std::ofstream(p) << "File contents";

        // native string representation can be used with OS APIs
        if (std::FILE* const f = std::fopen(p.string().c_str(), "r"))
        {
            for (int ch; (ch = std::fgetc(f)) != EOF;)
                std::putchar(ch);

            std::fclose(f);
        }

        // multibyte and wide representation can be used for output
        std::cout << "\nFile name in narrow multibyte encoding: " << p.string() << '\n';

        // wstring() will throw in stdlibc++ (as per gcc-12.1.0), see:
        // https://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=95048
        // https://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=102839
        // works with more recent gcc-12.2.1 (2023/02/01) and clang-10+
        std::wcout << "File name in wide encoding: " << p.wstring() << '\n';

        std::filesystem::remove(p);
    }

Possible output:

    File contents
    File name in narrow multibyte encoding: 要らない.txt
    File name in wide encoding: 要らない.txt

### See also

generic_stringgeneric_wstringgeneric_u8stringgeneric_u16stringgeneric_u32string | returns the path in generic pathname format converted to a string (public member function)

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